Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Novorossiysk

For one person, living is cheaper in Novorossiysk: $914 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Novorossiysk
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Novorossiysk Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Novorossiysk

🇷🇺 Russia

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Novorossiysk

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Novorossiysk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $914 in Novorossiysk, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Novorossiysk $914

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,340 in Novorossiysk, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Novorossiysk $1,340

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,766 in Novorossiysk, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Novorossiysk $1,766

Budapest costs about 77% more than Novorossiysk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Novorossiysk is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.13 ₽1,012

14.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$35.22 ₽2,940

73.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.27 ₽440

93.36%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.70 ₽225

20.74%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.05 ₽88.0

103.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.34 ₽28.54

423.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.22 ₽102

204.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.92 ₽244

29.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.07 ₽89.3

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.64 ₽53.2

179.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.15 ₽95.7

116.52%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$0.98 ₽82.1

297.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.40 ₽701

32.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.53 ₽378

46.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.54 ₽796

53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.84 ₽70.2

117.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.57 ₽131

30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.41 ₽118

68.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.93 ₽161

102.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.66 ₽54.9

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.48 ₽39.98

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.53 ₽43.91

198.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.47 ₽39.51

42.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.82 ₽235

182.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.83 ₽487

6.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 ₽82.0

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.51 ₽126

34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.56 ₽46.49

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$19.39 ₽1,619

44.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.16 ₽96.5

185.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.23 ₽19.24

495.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.80 ₽234

608.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.78 ₽64.8

133.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.2K ₽1.8M

40.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.4K ₽2.3M

23.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$123 ₽10.2K

39.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.01 ₽418

369.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.01 ₽752

158.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$25.52 ₽2,130

164.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.76 ₽1,149

37.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.79 ₽400

94.15%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$566 ₽47.2K

-5.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,988 ₽332.8K

320.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$56.2 ₽4,693

77.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$25.95 ₽2,166

67.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$58.8 ₽4,909

87.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$72.9 ₽6,084

63.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$387 ₽32.3K

114.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$298 ₽24.8K

108.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$515 ₽43.0K

209.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$387 ₽32.3K

202.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,299 ₽191.9K

153.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,659 ₽138.4K

134.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,057 ₽88.3K

56.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

21.33

-69.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novorossiysk: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Novorossiysk

$298 32.6% 52.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Novorossiysk

$161 17.7% 37.5% $97

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Novorossiysk

$163 17.8% 27% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Novorossiysk

$137 15% 37.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Novorossiysk

$96 10.5% 42.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Novorossiysk

$35 3.8% 59.2% $51

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Novorossiysk

$24 2.6% 45.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $387 in Novorossiysk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $35.00 in Novorossiysk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $161 – making Novorossiysk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Novorossiysk

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

275,795

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Novorossiysk 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Novorossiysk

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Novorossiysk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,370 in Novorossiysk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novorossiysk, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Novorossiysk. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $566 in Novorossiysk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Novorossiysk, where all-in costs run around $914, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Novorossiysk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novorossiysk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Novorossiysk. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.